Person–place congruency in the Internet Banking context

This study proposes and empirically validates a model that incorporates the interaction effects of consumer's shopping orientation (utilitarian/recreational) and attitudes towards the online store atmospheric qualities (information related cues, navigation cues, aesthetic cues) on online shopping behavior. The use of an underutilized technique for detecting interaction effects unveils the superiority of interaction effects over direct effects in explaining online shopping behavior. Results reveal significant interaction effects during the information search stage but not during the purchase stage. Furthermore, the interaction effects were significant only for utilitarian shoppers but not for the recreational ones. The results signify the distinctive nature of online shopping compared to the offline one, and the need for retailers to distinguish online and offline store atmosphere management.     

The Cotton Industry and Joint-Stock Banking in Manchester 1825–1850

This article is being published posthumously, following the tragic death of Dr Harrison on 11 December 1980. Shortly before his death he had completed his major study of the pre-1914 British cycle industry, from which the present article is taken. A further article will be published in a future issue.     

Trends in fatal motorcycle injuries in the Americas, 1998–2010

Injuries, disabilities and deaths among motorcyclists have been rising worldwide but what is happening in the American Continent is not completely known. Deaths from motorcycle crashes of the Pan American Health Organization database (PAHO/WHO, 1998–2010) were included in an ecologic multi-national study to quantify the temporal trends and to estimate the association between motorcycle riders’ deaths and selected socio-economic indicators. Mortality rates increased in all sub-regions. The highest increase was reported in the countries of the Andean sub-region (Ecuador, 78.3%) and Mesoamerica (Costa Rica, 60.0%). Poorer countries fared worse in terms of motorcycle mortality relative to richer countries, as did more unequal ones. Recent economic changes, rapid increment of motorisation rates, affordability of motorcycles over public transportation, lack of adequate public transportation policies and other insufficient measures aimed at improving safety can explain these trends.     

ICC Banking Commission Global Conference （spring） 2010 to Be Held in Beijing

On March 18, China Chamber of International Commerce （CCOIC） held press conference in Beijing, releasing that International Chamber of Commerce （ICC） Banking Commission Global Conference （Spring） 2010 be held from April 20 to April 23 at International Convention Center in Financial Street, Beijing.     

Determinants of growth in non-farm proprietor densities in the US, 1990–2000

The number of non-farm proprietorships in the US has expanded significantly in past decades, but this expansion has not occurred evenly over space. Regression analysis correcting for spatial autocorrelation reveals that proprietors respond rationally to economic incentives. Parameter estimates for variables measuring collateral, age, ethnic mix, government policy, female labor force participation, and natural amenities, each have the expected signs. A few options are available to policymakers for influencing growth in self-employment densities over time.

The burden of road traffic injuries in Kermanshah Province,Iran, in 2010–2011: GBD 2010 method

Deaths, injuries and disabilities resulting from road traffic injuries (RTIs) are a public health major concern. This study aims to calculate the burden of RTIs in Kermanshah Province in Iran. In this study to determine the years of life lost (YLL) related to RTIs, the National Death Registration and Forensics Medicine census data were employed. We use forensic medicine data to calculate the incidence of non-fatal injuries and years lost due to disability (YLD). The cause of death and non-fatal injuries was classified using ICD-10 codes and 23 groupes of global burden of diseases (GBD) 2010. The disability-adjusted life year (DALY) estimated on the guidelines of the GBD 2010 and age and sex structure was taken from the National Statistic Center for the year 2010. Overall, 70.8% of the subjects were males. The fatal and non-fatal injury rates of RTI were 51.3 and 283.6 per 100,000 persons, respectively. YLLs and YLDs were 46613 (24.5 per 1000) and 3405 (1.8 per 1000) in both sexes, respectively. The disability adjusted life years were 40711 in males, 9306 in females and 50018 in both sexes (42.5, 9.8 and 26.3 per 1000, respectively). More than 93% of DALY was from YLL (24.5 per 1000), with a small proportion for YLD (1.8 per 1000). Accounting for more than 50,000 DALY attributed to RTIs, traffic injuries is a major public health and socioeconomic problem in Kermanshah. Designing cost-effective interventions based on comprehensive and multi-sectoral programmes at the national and provincial levels can save many lives and resources that are lost every year. Undoubtedly, establishing a surveillance system at the sub-national level and measuring the burden of injuries, as in this study, can help policy-makers and planners in lessening the burden of RTIs.     

Banking on Reform in the Rising China

About six years ago when China first entered the WTO and agreed to open up its retail banking market after a period of five years,many overseas me- dia organizations held a pessimistic outlook that China's banking industry was headed towards bankruptcy.However,through effective adjustment and reform, China has edged into the advanced ranks of the banking world through some huge developments in its banking system.     

Competing for Private Banking Pie in China

China's private banking:A big piece of the pie PricewaterhouseCoopers(PWC)released a report on the global private banking sector in 2007 after top executives from 265 companies in 43 countries answered responded to a questionnaire.Big banks,the report says,are scrambling for     

Latest Developments in China＇s Banking Reform, Opening-up and Supervision

China Banking Regulatory Commission （CBRC） was authorized by law to regulate and supervise all the banking institutions in China and their business activities. CBRC plays an active role in China＇s banking reform. According to a press release by the State Council on December 5, under the leadership of the central government and the guidance of Deng Xiaoping Theory and the important thought of ＂Three Represents, ＂the CBRC continues to practise the scientific concept of development, deepen the banking reform, further the opening up and enhance banking supervision, so as to ensure a safe and sound development of China＇s banking sector.     

Global Reach by Australian Banks: Correspondent Banking Networks, 1830–1960

This paper argues that the bulk of international funds transfers to and from Australia from the 1830s until the 1960s were handled through correspondent banking relationships rather than internalised by multinational banks. The pervasiveness and longevity of this market-based contractual mode is explained with reference to the theory of transaction costs, agency and contracting. An examination of the evolution and practice of correspondent relationships of Australian banks suggests that the intrinsic nature of the services being provided reduced agency costs. Despite asymmetries in information and bounded rationality, agents had little incentive or opportunity to cheat as contracts were easy to negotiate, write, monitor and enforce. Agents were bonded to principals by a number of mechanisms, the most important of which was protection of their reputation. The move by Australian banks to branch abroad after the 1960s cannot be explained by any systemic failure of agency arrangements in the correspondent networks.     

Latest Developments in China‘s Banking Reform, Opening-up and Supervision

China Banking Regulatory Commission (CBRC) was authorized by law to regulate and supervise all the banking institutions in China and their business activities. CBRC plays an active role in China‘s banking reform. According to a press release by the State Council on December 5, under the leadership of the central government and the guidance of Deng Xiaoping Theory and the important thought of“ Three Represents,“ the CBRC continues to practise the scientific concept of development, deepen the banking reform, further the opening up and enhance banking supervision, so as to ensure a safe and sound development of China‘s banking sector.……     

Banks,Institutional Constraints and the Limits of Central Banking: Monetary Policy in Britain and West Germany, 1950–52

This paper analyses the anti-inflationary policies which were pursued in Britain and West Germany during the Korean War boom. It argues that the institutional relationships between the government, the central bank and the banking system can have considerable impact on the implementation of policy. The war brought a major shift in raw material prices and a consequent rise in bank lending in both countries to finance the increased import bill. The German independent central bank (BdL) used technical measures to restrain short-term lending, but was frustrated by the willingness of the Landeszentralbanken (regional central banks) to discount the bills of their local banking system. In addition, the banks themselves, because they operated in a competitive system, sought ways to circumvent the restrictions. The BdL took steps to tighten these loopholes and introduce a much stronger and more well defined policy transmission mechanism. Shifts in the terms of trade reduced inflationary pressure but the BdL retained tighter control over the banking system.

In Britain, the Bank of England was nominally controlled by the government, although it was able to exercise a degree of independence. Both parties had clear ideas of how inflationary pressure could be controlled in the economy; but these ideas differed significantly and neither one was able to impose their preferred option on the other. The result was a mixture of quantitative restrictions on the banks' balance sheets and qualitative guidelines to the banking system on the nature and extent of lending. The shift in raw material prices in 1952 largely solved the problem which it had created in 1951. The authorities, however, felt that their policies had been successful in constraining inflation and they failed to improve the monetary policy transmission mechanism as the Germans had done.     

Destructive entrepreneurship in the small business sector: bankruptcy fraud in Sweden, 1830–2010

Small Business Economics - Entrepreneurship will not always productive: Baumol (1990, 1993) distinguishes between productive, unproductive, and destructive entrepreneurial activities, and in the...     

Robustness of size and value effects in emerging equity markets, 1985–2000

We examine the robustness of size and book-to-market effects in 35 emerging equity markets during 1985–2000. Mean returns for high book-to-market firms significantly exceed mean returns for low book-to-market firms. These findings are robust to tests that control for size effects and that remove extreme returns. Similarly, mean returns for small firms exceed mean returns for large firms. But, the firm size results lack robustness to the removal of extreme returns. Moreover, significant size effects are found in tests that define firm size relative to the local market average, but generally are not found in tests that use absolute firm size. Our findings are confirmed by cross-sectional regressions that control for systematic risk at the global and local levels.     

Road traffic crashes with fatal and non-fatal injuries in Arkhangelsk,Russia in 2005–2010

The study investigated trends in traffic crashes with fatal and non-fatal injuries in Arkhangelsk, Russia in 2005–2010. Data were obtained from the road police. Negative binomial regression with time regressor was used to investigate trends in monthly incidence rates (IRs) of crashes, fatalities, and non-fatal injuries. During the six-year period, the police registered 4955 crashes with fatal and non-fatal injuries, which resulted in 217 fatalities and 5964 non-fatal injury cases. The IR of crashes with fatal and non-fatal injuries per total population showed no evident change, while the IR per increasing total number of motor vehicles decreased on average by 0.6% per month. Pedestrian crashes constituted 51.8% of studied crashes, and pedestrians constituted 54.6% of fatalities and 44.5% of non-fatal injuries. The IRs of pedestrian crashes and non-fatal pedestrian injuries per total population decreased on average by 0.3% per month, and these were the major trends in the data.     

Significant Change Among Senior Officials in China''''s Banking Sector

Inearly2000,therewasasignificantchangeamongseniorofficialsinChina'sfinancialsystem.SomeanalystspointoutthatthisisanimportantarrangementforWTOentry,andsimultaneouslyitexpressestheCentralGovernment'sdissatisfactionwiththecurrentstateofthefinancialsystem.OnFebruary17,2000,theCentralGovernmentmadeadecisiontoconductareshuffleoftopleadersamongtheChinaSecuritiesRegulatoryCommission(CSRC),fourstatecommercialbanks,theagriculturalDevelopmentBankofChina(ADBC)andthePeople'sBankofChina(theCentra…     

PC Market,Brighter in 2010？

Sharp reduction
Many Chinese PC producers＇ revenue has decreased greatly due to the influence of the crisis. Sales and profits witnessed a dramatically decrease in China＇s PC market. Lenovo, China＇s largest PC manufacturer, grew 17 percent in PC sales in the second quarter of 2008 in Greater China, declined by 8 percent from its first quarter, and the market share fell to 27.9 percent from 28.8 percent. Worse situation came across to other major PC producers. Founder, the second largest PC producer in China, decreased 11.36 percent year on year in PC sales volume. Similar decline happened to other peers in no exception.